"Your choice Shelby," the messenger sneered from his seat across from Tommy. "Either Arthur dies for what he did to start all of this or Changretta takes it all by force and leaves no one, not a single man, woman or child alive. He'll leave you alive long enough to witness it all before it's your turn and it'll be painful."
With that, the messenger took his leave of Tommy and Arthur. The door to Tommy's office hardly had time to shut before Arthur was up in a right state pacing around the room. He knew Changretta would make good on this threat, but he couldn't let his family suffer any more for his mistake. His only regret would be Y/n. He knew she'd burn the world to the ground once he was gone.
"Don't worry Arthur, I've got a plan." The smoke from Tommy's cigarette billowing to the ceiling. His low flat tone conveying a reassurance.
"Tommy," Arthur had never looked more scared or afraid in his life. Not even when they were little children and Arthur took the beatings from their father so the others didn't have to suffer.
"I promise you, Arthur, I have a plan. Put it out of your mind for now and let's go see how our boy's shaping up yeah?"
**********
Y/n watched from ringside as Bonnie Gold sparred with a Blinder whose name she could never remember. Pacing around the ring studying his every move, and yelling encouragement when he faked out the Blinder. Aberama Gold studied Y/n intensely, she wasn't anything like the stories he'd heard. He expected some tiny sick little waif, not this raging firecracker enthralled with the match in the ring. Not the skilled fighter he'd seen the past few weeks, not the cunning little minx that had Changretta scrambling.
"No, no, no," Y/n yelled climbing into the ring shoving the Blinder out.
Bonnie stood in the corner, his father wiping the sweat from his face and offering water. Y/n, on the other hand, slipped out of her sneakers and socks tossing them over the ropes. She stood barefoot in the middle of the ring in a t-shirt and jeans ordering the doors to the gym open and the air conditioning turned off. The instant the doors were open the thick humid air began creeping inside clinging to everything in sight.
"You have to be ready for anything and training in air conditioning won't help you. You need the elements, expect the worst, be able to move while hardly being able to breathe. Come on Bonnie." She bounced from foot to foot cracking her neck, her hand's shadowboxing in front of her.
"Aren't you going to put on some gloves?" The slightly amused tone in Bonnie's question had her smiling.
"I'm tougher than I look Gold, besides, I've only ever trained bare-knuckle. I'm an old school kinda girl." Her laughter filled the air through her mouthguard, and Blinders filled in around the ring to watch.
They'd gone round after round, Y/n giving Bonnie a real fight. He'd sweat more sparring against her than he had all morning. He nodded listening to her offering advice between landing hits. The humidity added strain to the workout, it was what he needed, a tougher challenge. Aberama nodded his head in approval seeing the effect she was having on Bonnie, pushing him harder than the others. She was forcing Bonnie out of his comfort zone and into more fight like conditions.
Tommy and Arthur entered the gym watching Y/n from behind. She was incredible, the snake-like moves, bobbing and weaving out of Bonnie's hits. Grinning like a fool Arthur couldn't help but nudge Tommy proudly. He was yelling and cheering as loud as the rest when she ducked out of the way only to land a jab to Bonnie's chest. It's a funny thing when doors are open though, the types of visitors one gets.
It was the flapping of the wings that broke Y/n's concentration. The fluttering sounds of the birds circling overhead before they landed on the ropes. Six rather large ravens sat side by side on the top rung of the ropes of the makeshift boxing ring. The largest of the six let out a single caw. Y/n dropped her guard, her hands dropped to her sides watching them. Bonnie was about to land a hit during her distraction but Aberama climbed in the ring resting a hand on his shoulder. Bonnie hadn't seen his father looked that pale in a long time.
The ravens in sync cocked their heads to the side quietly watching Y/n. She stood deathly still, fear filling every inch of her for the first time since the death of her sister. Once again the ravens in an unearthly tandem motion turned their heads towards Arthur. The largest again cawed only once before they all took flight and left the gym.
"No," Y/n whispered, her body shaking, vibrating with nerves. All seemed confused but the Golds, Y/n and Tommy. "What did you do?" She glared at Tommy unaware of Changretta's little messenger. "What did you fucking do Thomas Shelby?"
"It'll be alright Y/n," Tommy spoke with an eerie calm. His voice steady and smooth as the stones she threw into the river.
"NO! No, no, no, no!" She screamed wildly crossing the ring and flinging herself over the ropes and on the hard cement floor.
Striding toward Arthur she cupped his face in her hands distressed. Arthur could feel her shaking, see the tears building in her eyes. A sick feeling bubbling up inside him, she knew. Y/n had never acted like this, never shown this emotional side to anyone aside from Arthur in private. If she was acting like this for all to see, she knew. He felt sick to his stomach feeling her fingers as they trembled on his face.
"Everything will be alright Y/n, I have a plan," Tommy repeated but Y/n turned her anger on him and stepped into his space, getting into his face. He tried his damnedest to remain expressionless peering back at her.
"BULLSHIT!" She hissed between clenched teeth like a rabid dog. "You know damn well what six means. What did you do?!" Y/n shoved her palms against Tommy's chest, not even Arthur tried to stop her. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"
She was fuming and buzzing with nervous energy. A crazed enraged gleam in her eyes that meant trouble brewing. The gym slowly emptied at a subtle hand wave from Arthur. He pulled her away from Tommy, not for her but saving Tommy from the damage he knew she could do to his brother. Engulfing her in a tight embrace trying to calm her like she'd done for him so many times. His hand softly stroking up and down her back as she hid her face in the crook of his neck.
"Don't worry Love, nothing's going to happen, I promise." He did his best to sound reassuring, Tommy's plan rushing inside his mind.
"I can't... Arthur, I can't go through that again," Y/n sniffled back a cry. "I won't survive losing someone I love again." His hands left her back and slid down her wrist, gently grazing over her scars. He brought them to his lips pressing light kisses upon them.
"I'm not going anywhere, my Love. I'm too stubborn and thick-headed now that I've got you." He hugged her tight again, not wanting to let go.
YOU ARE READING
Arthur Shelby- Love at First Sight
Fiksi Penggemar*Modern Day Peaky Blinders AU* A war was brewing because of actions in the past. Thomas Shelby reached out for help in America, but no one was expecting her or the way she'd show up in the Garrison. The fates are a funny thing though, sending a ty...
